Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in California, as the state struggles to cope with severe drought brought on by the driest year in history.

Brown implored Californians to reduce water levels by 20 percent, after a year of the lowest levels of rainfall recorded in the state’s 153-year history. Reservoirs are running low, and the state is on high alert for wildfires like this week’s blaze in Los Angeles.

“We can’t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California’s drought now threatens, including dramatically less water for our farms and communities and increased fires in both urban and rural areas,” said Governor Brown. “I’ve declared this emergency and I’m calling all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.”

State officials will assist farmers impacted by the drought and hire more firefighters.

"Brown implored Californians to reduce water levels by 20 percent, after a
year of the lowest levels of rainfall recorded in the state’s 153-year
history."

No, I believe he wants us to reduce water USE by 20 percent. The water LEVELS are down by about 80%.

In San Diego, water usage has been controlled for years. Reducing it by 20% isn't going to be possible for most people. The really annoying part is that even though water USE is reduced, water RATES keep going up.